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Cyclist Down: Hit and Run On the Phoenix Steets

Guz over at T.B.A.G. is kind enough to keep me in the loop of all the bike action going on in the Phoenix valley. This morning he sent over a news article about a local cyclist that fell victim to a hit and run.

“I watched a car come around the corner and after he came around the corner he slowed down,” said Scott Walters. He said he didn’t think much about an oncoming car because the two were on opposite sides of the road.

That is until Scott says the driver of a Silver Kia started heading right for him.

“He steered right towards me and stepped on the gas and kept going,” Scott said. “By the time I figured out he was actually going for me I couldn’t really get out the way so all I could was lean over his hood and lessen the impact.”

I don’t know Scott personally but I have seen him around and we frequent the same watering hole from time to time. If you are in the Phoenix area, keep an eye out for a silver Kia missing a mirror that is obviously being driven by a douchebag. We are all glad you are alright Scott!

Regarding this quote from the news story, “Phoenix police say there’s probably no way they’ll ever find the driver because there are no witnesses, no license plate number and the mirror is all they have to go on.”

Hopefully the Phoeniz PD will have the detective skills to alert & check with regional Kia dealership parts departments, as that kind of mirror assembly is only available from the dealer. It is possible that the scum who was driving the car won’t bother to replace the mirror, but it might happen.

I am relieved Mr. Walters did not receive more damage to his body or bike.

So, if someone tries to shoot someone else, will the police just say, “Oh, umm, we won’t be able to find the guy. All we have to go on is this little old bullet. The victim was nicked a little and will live”? Heck no, they would go full out lookin’ for the gunman. So, my thinkin’ is an automobile in this case is a deadly weapon. Shouldn’t the cops go after him with the same gusto as going after a gunman? Shoot, I bet there is that little old gas station around the corner with the CCTV. Or, maybe the thing in the cops’ cars that send voice over great distance. What’s that called? Oh, a radio. “Excuse me, fellow fuzz, let’s all look for a silver Kia missing a mirror?” Remember, we are all part of Jesus’s flock.

…gianni…you were one of those folks who was unlucky enough to get hit & essentially maimed by a motorist, yet lucky enough to actually see an arrest & conviction…

…promise we drunkcyclist readers that once you pass the bar & you have judicial cronies amongst your pals that you’ll search for an explanation, official or otherwise, as to why so many of these case go unattended, please…

…jesus’s buddy, above @09 makes some valid points as regards detection & for the life of me i’ll never understand why the exact process he details isn’t followed…in this day & age of computers it’s so fucking basic & easy to follow through yet the cops just don’t seem to wanna deal with manslaughter or murder by motor vehicle…

…is “i ‘accidentally’ drifted across the line” really any different than “i didn’t know the gun was loaded” ???…

in response to WWJD & BGW, unfortunately, due to the decrease in tax revenue, the Phoenix PD is extremely understaffed and has no plans to open the doors until 2014 supposedly. It’s my understanding that they have all but eliminated the administrative staff (investigators, etc…) just to keep street patrol numbers up.

Welcome to Rome, Circa 150 AD, only we have ipads to keep us occupied while all else crumbles underfoot.

…@mitch, thank’s for the input as regards the phoenix pd & apologizes to bigfallsdown in that my original comment was based more on your thoughts which exactly paralleled my own…

…BUT all that aside, it’s not just this particular situation that raises my abject query…

…i don’t understand if it’s a matter of how hard it would be to prove intent when a motor vehicle is utilized to commit a crime, inadvertently or not, as opposed to a gun which is a device wherein the intent of it’s usage is obvious & limited but the percentages seem skewed against what we as cyclists encounter on a daily basis…

…too many ‘martin ermingers’ over the years & too many drivers like this ‘kia kid’ involved in the phoenix situation, who for some godforsaken reason intentionally decides to aim for an unprotected human being whilst driving a motor vehicle…

…bottom line ???…the prosecution & conviction rate in these types of situations is so low that as harsh as it might seem, i’d rather see a moronic prick like that beaten within an inch of his pathetic little life…

Thanks too to Mitch, for setting me straight on the extreme budget woes of the Phoenix PD. I should have considered that possibility, as it is occurring in municipalities across the country, including my own high-crime city in Ohio.

It sucks that the vigilante approach might have to be instituted, but it is what it is. Be careful out there! Keep your eyes moving.